Automobiles and trucks require periodic drainage of used crankcase oil, followed by replacement with fresh clean oil. Although many owners of such vehicles have this service performed by automobile dealerships or service stations, other owners choose to perform this task themselves. Typically, such do-it-yourself oil changing is a messy, dirty, and time-consuming procedure. Frequently, an open container with a capacity of two or more gallons is placed beneath the drain plug of the engine, and the oil is drained into the container. The container then is removed and the oil in it requires disposal. Frequently, such disposal is environmentally harmful, since the oil is dumped into a vacant lot or into a city sewer system, or the oil is poured into trash receptacles or waterways. Disposal in any of these various manners is unlawful in most localities and carries a high potential for hazardous waste contamination of surface water and ground water supplies.
On the other hand, used or dirty motor oil can be reclaimed and reprocessed for subsequent use. Automobile dealerships and service stations accumulate such oil and resell it to oil reclaiming centers. Do-it-yourself oil changers, however, frequently do not take the spent oil to a service station or reclaiming center. The reason for this is that switching the oil to a more easily transportable container is seldom done because it is a messy and time consuming process. Also, usually no convenient container or receptacle for accomplishing this purpose is immediately available.
Efforts have been made for facilitating the drainage, storage, and disposition of used motor oil from a motor vehicle. Two patents which disclose apparatus for facilitating do-it-yourself oil changing, are the Patents to Marcinko #4,054,184 and Clinard #4,099,598. The disclosures of these two patents are similar to one another. In the devices disclosed in both of these patents, a stand for holding a funnel receptacle is provided. The funnel has a single outlet. A resilient plastic bag is attached to the funnel to receive the oil which is drained from the engine. After the bag is filled, it is sealed, and then disposed of. The devices of both of these patents require a specially constructed plastic bag which is not commonly available for any other use. In addition, more than incidental assembly time is required and accidental spillage easily can result if the attachment between the bag and the funnel is not securely made. It is to be noted that the funnel is not supported by the bag, but requires a separate support to space it upwardly above the bag. Also, no equipment is included that can handle the used oil filter which is frequently replaced during the oil change process.
The Patent to LaFarge #3,874,429 is directed to the adaptation of standard disposable plastic milk jugs or plastic water jugs for use as a funnel system. One of the jugs must be cut in half to form the funnel. This cut apart top jug/funnel is inverted over the other jug and a special coupler attaches the two jugs together. After the bottom jug is filled through the cut apart top jug/funnel, the coupler is removed; and the bottom jug may be used to store the liquid which has been placed in it. One of the main drawbacks to the LaFarge invention is that many vehicles have a crankcase containing more oil than a standard single plastic disposable milk or water jug can hold. In such cases, one of two procedures may be employed: A. two bottom jugs, each with a separate coupler and cut apart jug/funnel could be used which would require the empty jug being slid in place of the filled jug while it is being filled, necessarily causing some drain spillage, or, B. stopping the draining procedure and replacing the drain plug, moving the filled jug and removing the coupler and cut apart jug/funnel from it and then reconnecting the coupler and cut apart jug/funnel to another empty jug and restarting the draining process again. Another drawback is that there is no equipment or procedure included to receive and drain the used oil filter.
Other devices directed to combination funnel/container devices for directing oil drained from the crankcase of an automobile or truck into the container, have been designed. These devices typically, however, must be emptied into some other container, if they are reused. If reuse is not contemplated, then these special containers must be separately purchased each time the oil is to be changed in the vehicle. Consequently, devices of this type are either inconvenient or messy to use, or they are relatively expensive. Also, few, if any, of these devices have made provision for handling of the used oil filter which is frequently replaced during the draining process.
It is desirable to provide a vehicle oil drain system and apparatus which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art, by providing a convenient receptacle for receiving the oil and the used oil filter as the oil is drained, and which is inexpensive, clean, and easy and quick to use.